Epidemiologic and clinical features of viruses that cause the common cold in children

Virus	Proportion of cases	Predominant months of circulation*	Other clinical syndromes
Rhinoviruses (more than 100 serotypes)	30 to 50%	Present year round with a peak in September and a smaller peak in March and April
Respiratory syncytial virus	5%	November to March	Bronchiolitis
Influenza viruses	5 to 15%	Winter months, with peak in February	Influenza Croup Pneumonia
Parainfluenza viruses	5%	September to January with peak in October and November	Croup
Adenoviruses	<5%	September to May	Pharyngoconjunctival fever
Enteroviruses (echoviruses and coxsackieviruses)	<5%	Present year round, with a peak during the summer	Aseptic meningitis (nonpolio enteroviruses) Herpangina (coxsackievirus type A)
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2	Unknown	Present year round	COVID-19
Common cold coronaviruses	10 to 15%	November to February	Pneumonia Croup
Human metapneumovirus	Unknown	Late winter and early spring	Pneumonia Bronchitis

COVID-19: coronavirus 2019.

* In the northern hemisphere.

Data from:

Heikkinen T, Järvinen A. The common cold. Lancet 2003; 361:51.
Kirkpatrick GL. The common cold. Prim Care 1996; 23:657.
Pappas DE, Hendley JO. The common cold. In: Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 3^rd ed, Long SS, Pickering LK, Prober CG (Eds), Churchill Livingstone, Philadelphia 2008. p.203.
Zimmermann P, Curtis N. Coronavirus infections in children including COVID-19: An overview of the epidemiology, clinical features, diagnosis, treatment and prevention options in children. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2020; 39:355.

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